Luggage handle



Jan. 6, 1959 J. R. PICK ET AL 2,867,306

LUGGAGE HANDLE Filed Oct. 14, 1955 LUGGAGE HANDLE Joseph R. Pick and Theodore M. Lasinski, Chicago, 11].;

Vincent Curtis Baldwin and Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago, executors of said Joseph R. Pick, deceased Application October 14, 1955, Serial No. 540,431

3 Claims. Cl. 190-57 This invention relates generally to a novel handle construction and more particularly to a handle construction usable with a piece of luggage or the like.

More specifically this invention concerns the provision of resilient cushioning means in a hollow or tubular portion of the handle having one end thereof connected to the piece of luggage whereby during the manual carrying of the assembly by means of the handle, shocks due to sudden gravitation of the bag will be cushioned and absorbed by the resilient cushioning means.

Accordingly, it is an object of thi invention to pro-' vide a resilient cushioning mounting in a handle connected to a piece of luggage which serves to minimize the transmission of shocks to the handle due to sudden gravitation of the luggage.

Another object of this invention is to provide a handle construction having resilient cushioning means therein which cushioning means has a free end that may be readily attached to the article to be carried.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a novel handle construction having resilient cushioning means therein which is relatively economical to manufacture and which lends itself to large scale production.

In accordance with the general features of this invention there is provided in a piece of luggage including a bag and a handle body with the handle being generally of a U-shaped configuration having tubular free ends, resilient means disposed in the free tubular ends connected to the bag responsive to sudden gravitation of the bag during manual carrying of same thereby cushioning shock and minimizing the transmission of same to the handle.

Other objects and features of this invention may more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a single embodiment thereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a piece of luggage having a handle provided with my novel cushioning means therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the handle;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion of my novel handle construction showing its manner of cooperation with a piece of luggage; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken at substantially right angles to the sectional view in Figure 3.

As shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral indicates generally my novel U-shaped handle construction which is particularly adapted to be used in conjunction with a piece of luggage or other similar article 11.

The handle 10 includes a handle body 12 which in the illustrated instance comprises a one piece metallic stamping which has opposite shell-like halves or portions 12a and 12b bent upwardly at the point of their junction 13 until the shell-like halves are in confronting relation to one another at. cured together in any suitable fashion. 7

The handle 10-includes two ends or shell-likehalves each of which has a tubular cross-section which definetogether a housing 14 and is especially adapted to receive therein and carry our novel resilient cushioning means '15.

As is best seen in Figures 3 and 4, the junction 13 of the halves 12a and 12b have an aperture 16 therein.

Receivable through the aperture or opening 16 is a ro tatable plunger 17 g which is threaded at one end at 18 and has an enlarged tubular terminal 19 at the other end. Contained in the housing 14 is a spring element 20 which is especially adapted to have arm or shaft 21 of plunger 17 extend vertically therethrough. Connected at the threaded end 18 of plunger 17 is a nut 22 which is adapted to bear upon the upper end of the spring 20.

In view of the foregoing it will now be appreciated that as the shell-like portions are deflected to their assembled eventual upright position, plungers 17 are each guided through openings 16 with springs 20 thereafter being assembled with each of the shafts 21 of each of the plungers 17. Then the nuts 22 are secured to the threaded ends of plungers 17 to maintain the cushi.-ning assemblies in unitary relation. The shell-like portions may be maintained in an upright confronting posi tion by any suitable means such as welding or the like.

Provided on the bag 11 is mounting means 23 which includes a. plate 24 having a tubular portion 25 capable of receiving therethrough a splitting 26. This split ring 26 may first be guided through the tubular end of plunger 17 and corresponding tubular portion 25 in mounting 23 and in that maner serve to attach the handle to the bag.

In order that the handle assembly 10 may lend itself to various types of bags and more particularly variable types of mountings 23, the plunger 17 is particularly constructed so that it may rotate substantially 360.

The party carrying the bag will readily appreciate that as the bag is carried that the cushioning mechanism is capable of absorbing sudden impacts upon the bag. In

other words, when a force is applied to the bag, the plunger 17 is moved vertically downward in response thereto with spring 20 being compressed to cushion and absorb the shock.

It will be understood that modications and variations may be eifected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a piece of luggage including a bag and a handle body with the handle of an inverted generally U-shaped configuration having tubular free ends, said tubular free ends comprising mating shell sections defining housings and having solid junction portions atthe outer ends thereof joining together said mating shell sections, each solid junction portion having an opening therein, and spring means carried in each of said housings and each having a lost motion shock responsive supporting element carried by the spring means at one end and slidably extending through the associated opening and adapted to be connected to the bag at the other end, whereby said shock responsive supporting element is extensible responsive to downward gravitations of the bag relative to said handle to cushion and minimize the transmission of shock to said handle.

2. In a handle and piece of luggage assembly, a handle including a fixed hollow portion defining a housing, said hollow portion comprising a one-piece tube formed of mated shell sections having a handle portion and junction portions at opposite ends of the handle portion and extending at substantially right angles with respect thereto, each junction portion having a passage therethrough at the outer end thereof and joining said sections together, said junction portions each having a lost motion which time they may be secushioning connection therein,.with the lost motion cushioning connection having a connecting portion extending exteriorly of the housing through said'passage in said junction portion and adapted to be connected to the lug.- gage and'responsive to sudden gravitation of the luggage tocushion the same during manual. carrying. of the assembly.

3. A handle for luggage and the like. like comp-rising a one-piece inverted U-shaped tubular handle formed. of

mated shell sections, solid junction portions at the respective lower ends of said inverted U joining together said sections, there being an opening in each of said junctionportions, shafts each extending through one of said open-' ings. and. each having a headed end within said tubular handle and another end of said shaft projecting beyond said junction portion for attachment to said luggage, and

resilient means compressively mounted on each shaft 5 between said headed end and said junction portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

